Currently, offshore wind farms (OWF) are connected radial to onshore power grids. However, the development of an offshore high voltage direct current (HVDC) grid with integrated OWFs might have significant benefits over point-two-point radial connections. These so-called offshore meshed grids might lead to relevant cost-reductions, higher security of supply and/or better RES integration. Nevertheless, building an offshore grid involves a significant number of related components and is more complex than radial connections to shore. The Baltic InteGrid Technology Catalogue developed by the Wind Energy Department of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) covers all main components that are needed for the development of a meshed offshore grid.

“While creating a technology catalogue is not necessarily a research task, it is a process that requires effort, but its necessity and utility is very clear and the researchers from DTU Wind Energy, with inputs from the other Baltic InteGrid partners, were glad to lead this work” says Senior Researcher Nicolaos A. Cutululis.

The main purpose of this Technology Catalogue is to serve as a common source for the techno-economic assessments done in the Baltic InteGrid project. It includes both technical characteristics and cost parameters for all the relevant components of an OWF and its connection to the grid. Through the development of the Technology Catalogue it became apparent, that the main components needed for the development of an offshore grid are already available today. Major current uncertainties are related to the availability, cost and technical maturity of the direct current (DC) breakers, which are needed in the case of a meshed grid design, although other sub-optimal way-arounds are available. Nevertheless, at this point it is rather safe to assume that full scale DC breakers will be tested and operated by the horizon 2030.